The Kansas City Chiefs made two first-round choices in the 2022 NFL draft, but in a recent projection of the league’s All-Rookie squad, only one of those first-round picks makes the cut.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter recently projected 2022 All-Rookie Teams on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Pick No. 30, Purdue DE George Karlaftis, was the only Chiefs player to make the projection. Both Trent McDuffie (pick No. 21) and Skyy Moore (pick No. 54) were passed over for other players.
Here is what Reuter had to say about Karlaftis making it:
“The Chiefs needed a complement to Frank Clark off the edge and found a bargain in Karlaftis late in the first round. His power and advanced hand usage will free him to make plays in the run game and stop quarterbacks trying to run away from Clark as he steams toward them.”
At cornerback, Reuter chose Jets CB Sauce Gardner (pick No. 4) and Bills CB Kaiir Elam (pick No. 23) over McDuffie. At wide receiver, he chose Steelers WR George Pickens (pick No. 52) and Packers WR Christian Watson (pick No. 34) over Moore.
Elam and McDuffie will always be compared against each other seeing as Kansas City traded ahead of Buffalo to grab McDuffie, leaving the Bills to choose Elam. The same goes for Moore and Pickens, given that Kansas City traded back to pick No. 54 from No. 50. Tyquan Thornton and Alec Pierce also were selected ahead of Moore, so they’ll be in the conversation too.
What do you think Chiefs Kingdom? Will either, both, or neither Karlaftis and McDuffie perform well enough to be named to All-Rookie Teams? Let us hear your thoughts with us in the comment section down below or on Facebook and Twitter.
